NEW YORK, April 8 (Reuters) – Russia’s top mobile phone operator, Mobile
TeleSystems (MTS), said on Monday it wants to help develop the local
assets of Swedish telecom company Tele2 with Russian state-owned bank
VTB.

Tele2′s Russian unit was recently sold to VTB, although MTS has complained
that its bid was significantly higher than the eventual purchase price of $3.5
billion.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar weakened against most major currencies on Friday, dropping to a two-week low against the euro, as worse-than-expected jobs data raised concerns that the pace of recovery in the American labor market has slowed.

The yen extended its downward slide, hitting a fresh 3-1/2-year nadir against the dollar and a near two-month trough against the euro. As trading volumes dried up heading into the weekend, the euro was up more than 2 percent on the Japanese currency.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Alex Salmond wants to see an independent Scotland free of submarines laden with nuclear missiles, but he says he is open to hosting NATO bases without weapons of mass destruction.

As leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which controls the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, the Scottish first minister announced last month that on September 18, 2014, Scots would have a chance to decide whether or not to break from the United Kingdom after more than 300 years.

NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) – Mergers and acquisitions
activity among developed and emerging markets fell in 2012 with
the fewest number of completed deals since the peak of the
financial crisis in 2009, a new survey showed on Thursday.

The number of completed deals fell 11.8 percent last year
versus 2011, according to audit, tax and business advisory
services firm KPMG.